Monday, 22 April 2019

Men in Black

The Brunswick Ducal Corps were commonly known as the Black Brunswickers but were also known as the Schwarze Schar (Black Troop, Black Horde, or Black Host) or Schwarze Legion (Black Legion).

Most units in the Corps were dressed in Black and I have completed a paint rennovation unit on a unit of Austrians as the 1st Line Infantry.

The Black Brunswickers earned a fearsome reputation during the Napoleonic wars and took part in several significant battles including the Waterloo campaign and Quartre Bras on 16 June 1815, where the Duke of Brunswick was a fatality wounded.

The flag is hand painted on a old metal coke can. I found the yellow hard to do using Acyrlic paint as it took multiple coats and has not covered evenly. Perhaps I need to invest in some Humbrol enamel paint for my flags for the main colours.

The Brunswickers will be brigaded with my Nassau Battalion.

I have a unit, of what looks like original, Hinton Hunt Brunswick Hussars in a bleach bath at the moment so you can expect to see some more Men in Black soon.

Currently on the painting table are the Duke of Wellington and General Picton as well a paint renovation of 12 old Douglas French Voltigeurs

A striking unit - they certainly look menacing, although I don't recall the Brunswick troops having a particularly fearsome reputation? I've always thought black uniforms were hard to paint but clearly that's not the case if you gloss varnish them - it lifts them and makes them look smart as opposed to matt and dull.

About Me

I have been wargaming since 1969 and over that time have collected many different periods.
Over the last 7 years I have gone back to my wargaming roots re discovering the rules I used in my early days including the classic works - Charge and the Wargame.
In 2017 I started collecting Hinton Hunt and other classic Napoleonic figure ranges.